Thursday, 21 June 2012

Grocery Retailing and Consumer Trends in China, 2011 - Latest Report

Grocery Retailing and Consumer Trends in China is the result of Canadean’s extensive online consumer survey and industry research program. The report is data-driven and provides a uniquely deep and rich array of data analysis on the China grocery market. The unique benefits of this integrated consumer survey and market data methodology mean that the report not only provides detailed value and volume data, but also private label coverage and data on the key consumer trends affecting the market. NB: retailer data refers to off-trade drinks only, but total market, and drinks market, sizes include on-trade drinks sales.

Introduction and Landscape

Why was the report written?

Marketers in the Chinese grocery market face changing consumption patterns as a result of demographic changes, uncertain economic conditions and evolving technology. This makes it essential to not only understand the current state of the market, but to also quantify the impact of consumer trends, providing a spotlight on what consumption decisions are being made and why.This report solves these problems by providing integrated survey-based data for Alcoholic Drinks, Beverages, Food, and Health & Beauty products which show value and volume retail sales data, relative brand and private label shares, retailer shares by product category (volume data), the value of different consumer groups, and quantifies the amount of the total market directly influenced consumer trends.

What are the key drivers behind recent market changes?

The effects of a weak global economy and the following recovery have led consumers to closely examine their choice of retailer and products purchased. While country by country the effects have varied, no grocery retail market has been left totally untouched, creating a need to understand exactly who the end consumer audience is and what their main motivations are.

What makes this report unique and essential to read?

The report provides valuable, hard to get, consumer-survey based data (integrated with industry research) on the grocery market in China. It provides value and volume data for 146 product categories, Private Label penetration rates by category, and the value of the market directly influenced by Consumer Trends (which affects consumption choices).For two types of Private Label purchasers, trends affecting the reasons to purchase private labels are also shown. As the report focuses on end-consumers and not in-store shoppers, it provides a different perspective compared to other types of data, helping retailers to identify which consumer groups they want to compete for in the future.

The value of the total market each trend accounts for, showing the size of the prize for products able to hit specific consumer needs and desires. Strategically this helps to know what the main consumer trends are and therefore to update stocking policies accordingly.

Key Market Issues
The Alcoholic Drinks sector in the China is dominated by the top 3 retailers who hold more than 50% share. The Soft Drinks markets have the highest level of consolidation among retailers, while the Alcoholic drinks markets have the lowest.

Private labels have a reasonably decent share in the total Food markets accounting for more than 18% of the volume share. Conversely, in the Alcoholic drinks markets branded products leave very little scope for private labels. Therefore, in various Food categories like soy products, baking goods, Private label is squeezing the weaker brands in the market.

According to survey results, Regular Private label consumers quoted that the most important driving factors influencing their consumption patterns are 'Changing Lifestages’ and 'Changing Age Structures’. This implies that price is not the only factor driving sales of private labels.

Key Highlights
The total size of the Grocery Retail market in the China exceeded USD 630 billion in 2011, with the Food and Alcoholic drinks markets dominating.

Consumers in the 'Better Off’ wealth category contribute 39% share by value to retailers’ sales. An age-wise analysis reveals that Pre-Mid-Lifers have more than 20% share by value of total Grocery Retail sales.

The most important factors affecting Grocery Retail sales are 'Changing Lifestages’, 'Changing Age Structures’, 'Health’ and 'Quality Seeking’, each of which influence more than 15% of the total sales.